Israeli President Herzog said awarding Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize was a "cynical decision"
Quick Look
- According to Arutz Sheva, Israeli President Herzog argued that what the Israeli army did in Gaza was not genocide and described South African lawyer Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize as a cynical decision of the Nobel Committee.
- Pillay received the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on international law and peace, chaired the United Nations commission of inquiry on Palestine, and currently serves as a judge at the International Court of Justice in the Myanmar genocide case.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
As President of Israel, Herzog argued that Israel's militaire operations in Gaza were not genocide. Pillay received the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on international law and peace and chaired the United Nations commission of inquiry on Palestine.
According to the news of the Israeli-based Arutz Sheva newspaper, Herzog argued that what the Israeli army did in Gaza was not "genocide".
Pointing out that Pillay argued that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, Herzog claimed that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the South African jurist for his "efforts to promote peace and international law" was "a cynical decision of the Nobel Committee".
Who is Nobel Peace Prize winner Pillay?
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African lawyer Pillay for his work on peace and international law.
Pillay, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, served as the chairman of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories until November 2025, and responded to the criticism of the USA and Europe regarding the open-ended mandate of the commission by saying, "The Israeli occupation does not have an end date either." he replied.
In September 2025, after the commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, Pillay, in an article he wrote in The New York Times, called on the global community to cut arms sales, provide humanitarian aid without obstacles, and prevent genocide by engaging in diplomacy.
Pillay currently serves as a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case in which Myanmar is accused of genocide.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The International Court of Justice will decide on the allegation that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- What evidence did he present to refute Herzog's claim of genocide?
- Has Pillay's award of the Nobel Prize been officially described as cynical by the Nobel Committee?
- How is Pillay's role as a judge in the Myanmar case progressing?
